On April 8, finance expert Jake Claver (@beyond_broke) commented on Ripple’s latest strategic move—its $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, a prominent prime brokerage known for facilitating over $3 trillion in annual trading volume.
Claver outlined the significance of the acquisition, emphasizing its implications for institutional adoption of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), as well as for the broader use of XRP and Ripple’s new stablecoin, RLUSD. According to Claver, this acquisition marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of Ripple’s ecosystem, particularly in how it addresses institutional finance.
Ripple just dropped $1.25 BILLION to buy Hidden Road, a prime brokerage that moves $3 trillion annually. But why should XRP holders care? Because it's about to change everything for #XRP and #RLUSD. Let’s talk about why.
1/19pic.twitter.com/wLPFNADyn6
— Jake Claver, QFOP (@beyond_broke) April 8, 2025
Institutional Scale Meets On-Chain Settlement
Claver highlighted that Hidden Road serves over 300 institutional clients, with $10 billion in daily trading activity. These trades will now have the option to be settled directly on the XRP Ledger. As Claver pointed out, this is not retail volume—it is institutional capital handled by hedge funds and market makers.
With a portion of this $10 billion in daily trades potentially settling through XRP, demand for the asset is positioned to rise significantly. Each transaction on the XRP Ledger requires XRP, and institutions operating at this scale will require large quantities to support settlement operations.
Ripple’s acquisition also directly connects traditional financial operations to the benefits of blockchain. Hidden Road’s decision to integrate RLUSD as collateral across all its prime brokerage products represents the first stablecoin enabling cross-margining between digital and traditional markets. According to Claver, this effectively creates an interoperable financial system underpinned by digital assets, offering instant settlement through XRP and stable collateral via RLUSD.
Solving Longstanding Industry Pain Points
Claver stated that the move addresses several key concerns from institutional players, including regulatory compliance, settlement risk, and capital inefficiency. Ripple’s existing portfolio of over 60 licenses, combined with XRPL’s settlement speed, offers a solution to these barriers.
The instant finality of transactions on XRPL contrasts sharply with the 24-hour-plus settlement cycles typical in traditional markets. This shift could significantly alter how institutions handle post-trade operations, particularly in terms of speed, cost, and risk mitigation.
According to Claver, Trust is a major factor. Hidden Road’s institutional clients rely on the firm for large-scale financial operations. With Ripple now owning that infrastructure, these same clients will gain exposure to and potentially build trust in XRP and RLUSD as integrated components of the financial workflows they already utilize.
Economic Efficiency and Market Expansion
Another critical element in Claver’s analysis is cost savings. Settling through XRPL reduces operational expenses for financial institutions. Hidden Road, now backed by Ripple, can pass these savings to clients, increasing its competitiveness. This economic advantage will likely encourage greater adoption and higher transaction volumes, reinforcing demand for XRP and RLUSD.
The acquisition also opens new use cases. XRP can facilitate real-time cross-border settlements, while RLUSD provides a reliable instrument for liquidity management and hedging.
These functionalities expand what financial institutions can accomplish within the Ripple ecosystem. As institutions engage with XRP and RLUSD more frequently, liquidity improves, volatility decreases, and the assets become more attractive for further integration.
Positioning at the Intersection of TradFi and DeFi
Claver emphasized the strategic nature of the acquisition. By purchasing Hidden Road, Ripple is no longer waiting for institutions to adopt its technology—it now owns a platform already processing more financial volume daily than most blockchains do in an entire month.
With that infrastructure under its control, Ripple can directly plug XRPL and RLUSD into the operations of major financial firms. This removes adoption friction and expands Ripple’s institutional reach in one move.
Ripple is now positioned to offer a comprehensive end-to-end financial solution: from trade execution and collateralization to instant settlement, all within the same ecosystem. Claver described this as a fundamental shift in how XRP and RLUSD are perceived and used in global finance.
A Signal of Long-Term Commitment
Concluding his analysis, Claver remarked that the $1.25 billion investment sends a clear signal of Ripple’s confidence in XRP and RLUSD as essential components of future finance.
Every transaction processed through XRPL increases the demand for XRP. Every client using RLUSD for collateral enhances the stablecoin’s utility. This ecosystem, as Claver explained, is no longer theoretical—it is being actively built and deployed.
In Claver’s view, skeptics of XRP’s institutional potential now face a new reality. Ripple owns a pipeline moving $3 trillion annually. The pipeline is being redirected through the XRPL. With infrastructure, regulatory licenses, and institutional relationships now under its umbrella, Ripple is establishing a new standard for digital asset integration in global financial markets.
Disclaimer: This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are urged to do in-depth research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses.
